Honey Verifying: Checking its Purity

Honig, Shahad, Miel, мед, Miele, μελι, Mel, Honing– all these words just mean one thing: HONEY. It is called by different names in the different parts of the world and has been used in many cultures as a healthy and delicious ingredient over the 2,500 years, particularly the “raw” version. This is the sticky and fragrant sweetener naturally produced from the nectars of flowers by bees. It is actually an unpasteurized concoction rich in phytonutrients and endowed with antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Why is honey healthy?

To this day, people continue to look at the numerous health benefits of it with high regards. Joanna Blythman and Rosie Sykes write about Why Raw Honey is Good for You for The Guardian – Lifestyle Section.

Raw, cold extracted honey hasn’t been heat-treated and “purified”, so still contains its full complement of enzymes and antioxidants, and has antibacterial properties… is most effective in killing antibiotic-resistant infections, such as MRSA…

The health benefits of honey include the following treatments, taken from both traditional and modern medical experts: natural sweetener, weight loss: energy source, source of vitamins and minerals, improving athletic performance, skin care, wound management and healing.

Proliferation of Fake Honey

The demand worldwide is being met by the proliferation of cheaper honey. If you are particular about the price you buy, you may end up buying cheap but “fake” honey. This is the essence of the study made by Food Safety News. Read about FSN’s findings in this post Studies Show Fake Honey Is Everywhere. Here’s How To Know The Difference posted in TopInfopost News(TIP News) – Health Section.

… Food Safety News found that 76% of all honey bought at grocery stores were treated with a process called “ultra-filtration,” which removes not only impurities like wax, but also all traces of pollen. And of the types of brands at grocery stores, the ones that were far-and-away the most likely to be ultra-filtered were generic brands.

Ultrafiltration is a process that removes pollens that make honey healthy, and which makes it a healthier alternative to sugars and other artificial rival sweeteners. It is suspected that the process is being used to conceal the source, such as China. It is from this source is subject to stiff import tariffs owing to repeated contamination by heavy metals and antibiotics. The product gets strewn in the market following a complicated system of distribution to make the source harder to trace.

How do you know you are buying genuine honey?

With the massive amount of fake products in the market, there is a higher chance you are getting the fake than the real thing. To know if you are buying, there are a few tricks you can use to test the product of choice.

Read the contents: Real honey is not supposed to contain extenders or additives such as high fructose corn syrup. It must not also contain heavy metals or even traces of antibiotics.

Natural is not sticky: Take a small amount and rub it between your fingers. If the label doesn’t say much, the sticky nature would indicate the presence of artificial sweetener or sugars.

Caramelizing: Heating real honey would result in it becoming caramelized than becoming foamy or bubbly, which are signs of fake honey.

Paper: Real honey would not break a paper, but fakes would. Put a few drops of honey on paper and observe if it breaks or not.

The trick with bees: If the ants are not attracted to it, it’s real honey.

You can also try adding honey to water; it should form a lump and sink.

When you taste it, your tongue should experience some tingling sensation.

Spread it on bread; it should harden and not dampen it.

Test it on egg yolks.

Blending honey with egg yolk should make it appear cooked. It must also form crystals in time, unlike the fare that stays liquid all the time.

If you are buying honey for its health benefits, it is essential you get the real type.

Bogus brands are cheap. With around three-fourth of the commercial honey being fake and the price difference, it will be easy for you to be lured by the fake products. The best thing is to do some tests and stick to the brand that pass your tests.